90 days, Or “The Case Of Obama’s Missing Mortgage Task Force”

That’s how long the American people and 11 million underwater homeowners have waited for President Barack Obama and his federal mortgage task force to get to work.

The president announced on Jan. 24, during his State of the Union, the formation of a federal mortgage fraud task force to “”hold accountable those who broke the law.”

But 3 months later, the panel’s silence has been deafening. Now we’re faced with a mystery: The Case of the Missing Mortgage Fraud Task Force.

The unanswered questions would give Nancy Drew a headache.

What’s not in question is the task force’s great potential, what it could mean for American homeowners and the 99 percent. If done right, these investigations could have serious results: Big banks held accountable (high-level executives facing criminal penalties) for the crimes against the American people and our economy; meaningful settlements for underwater homeowners.

Because of big banks’ recklessness and their toxic lending practices, home values plummeted and we are now drowning in debt. The task force can – and should — press the banks to examine hundreds of billions in principal reduction for the people who have suffered due to big bank fraud.

The announcement of the federal mortgage task force came right beforethe pitiful $25 billion settlement between big banks and the 50 state attorneys general, with the Obama administration playing a key background role pushing for completion. No banks were held financially accountable in a meaningful way. And, in reality, only $17 billion will likely go toward principal reduction, compared to the more than $700 billion in underwater mortgages, which is one of the main obstacles to rebuilding the economy.

But there should also be a real federal investigation that would hold big banks accountable for their actions and provide real relief for millions of underwater homeowners.

A minimum of $300 billion in principal reduction would represent roughly the amount of underwater debt of moderate, middle and low-income, owner-occupied families. It will dramatically improve the lives of not only those families hit hardest by the housing collapse, but the economy as a whole.

Principal reduction is also how we can jump-start the economy. Families can use the extra money every month to buy groceries, school supplies and other essentials, pumping billions of dollars back into the economy and helping create new jobs.

With the task force, Obama has the opportunity to show 11 million underwater homeowners and the more than 4 million people that have had their homes foreclosed how he can work to hold Wall Street accountable.

This is critical to his election campaign. With the grueling election season upon us Obama could demonstrate how he can reset the American economy.

We cannot wait for change.

In 2011, 5,171 properties received a foreclosure filing each day. That’s at least 465,390 filings over the 90 days we’ve been waiting for action from the task force. In 2012, the numbers are expected to be even higher.